Most betta people I run into say 1 gallon is the absolute minimum. Most of my bettas are in 1 gallons. I have a one in a .5 gallon and couple in large beanie containers.. not ideal but it's temporary and a step up from where they were before. All are given regular water changes and seem pretty happy.
Anywho, 1 gallon is alright. Just make sure to keep up with WCs and you'll be fine.
Edit: Oh yeah.. don't worry about the light. The only time I turn on the lights on the hoods are when I want to take pictures. Other than that, all they get are lights from our lamps during the day.
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